/*
 * Copyright (c) 1998, 2008, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 *
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/* ********************************************************************
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 *** COPYRIGHT (c) Eastman Kodak Company, 1997                      ***
 *** As  an unpublished  work pursuant to Title 17 of the United    ***
 *** States Code.  All rights reserved.                             ***
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 **********************************************************************/

package java.awt.image.renderable;

import java.awt.image.RenderedImage;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;

/**
 * The RenderedImageFactory interface (often abbreviated RIF) is
 * intended to be implemented by classes that wish to act as factories
 * to produce different renderings, for example by executing a series
 * of BufferedImageOps on a set of sources, depending on a specific
 * set of parameters, properties, and rendering hints.
 */
public interface RenderedImageFactory {

    /**
     * Creates a RenderedImage representing the results of an imaging
     * operation (or chain of operations) for a given ParameterBlock and
     * RenderingHints.  The RIF may also query any source images
     * referenced by the ParameterBlock for their dimensions,
     * SampleModels, properties, etc., as necessary.
     *
     * <p> The create() method can return null if the
     * RenderedImageFactory is not capable of producing output for the
     * given set of source images and parameters.  For example, if a
     * RenderedImageFactory is only capable of performing a 3x3
     * convolution on single-banded image data, and the source image has
     * multiple bands or the convolution Kernel is 5x5, null should be
     * returned.
     *
     * <p> Hints should be taken into account, but can be ignored.
     * The created RenderedImage may have a property identified
     * by the String HINTS_OBSERVED to indicate which RenderingHints
     * were used to create the image.  In addition any RenderedImages
     * that are obtained via the getSources() method on the created
     * RenderedImage may have such a property.
     *
     * @param paramBlock a ParameterBlock containing sources and parameters
     *        for the RenderedImage to be created.
     * @param hints a RenderingHints object containing hints.
     * @return A RenderedImage containing the desired output.
     */
    RenderedImage create(ParameterBlock paramBlock, RenderingHints hints);
}
